


Say 'Thank You, Tony'

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Is Younger Than Steve, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Conon Divergent - Character Ages, Gen, Male Friendship, Mild Language, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Possible Steve/Bucky if that's how you want to see it, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tony Being Tony, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony-centric, mild PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 22:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5843131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony decided to do something nice for his friends. Its not his fault Steve had to make everything so difficult. He did try to compromise, after all. He could have bought buildings and evicted them until they had to move into the tower with everybody else. He didn't. See? <i>Compromise</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say 'Thank You, Tony'

Tony stared at the chessboard. After having his ass handed to him too many times, Bruce announced that he was no longer playing with Tony. Tony had argued that his friend just needed more practice. 

...Only with someone who wasn't as competitive or impatient as Tony. He knew he wasn't teacher material. 

Pepper was busy running Stark Industries and Tony didn't like to share her time much when she had some off, so she couldn't play often enough to help Bruce. 

Bucky, however, wasn't nearly as busy and Tony had discovered the kid was awesome at chess. He was also patient and quiet. So now Bucky and Bruce played at least twice a week. It seemed to be good for both of them and Bruce's game was definitely improving. Soon, he'd able to take Tony without getting so frustrated.

If he ever figured out how to properly use his damn castles. 

While Tony was debating whether he should let Bucky take his sweet ass time teaching Bruce or just point that out himself, Steve barged into the room. 

“What the fuck is _this_ , Tony?” Steve dropped an envelope on the sofa between Tony and Bucky.

Tony didn't have to open the envelope to know what Steve was talking about. He didn't even touch it as he grinned and stood. “Drink, Captain?”

“ _Tony_.” Steve's eyebrows did that thing where they got all straight and angry looking. Tony always found it amusing. 

“Steve...?” Bucky stood slowly and looked between the two. Clearly he hadn't been informed of Steve's intentions before the larger man charged into the room like an angry gorilla. 

Bruce hadn't moved. He looked like he was deciding whether to wait out the two most stubborn men he knew or just bolt before the room got too tense. “What's going on?”

Tony indicated the envelope, still sitting on the sofa. “ _That_ is a letter informing you-” He waved a finger between Steve and Bucky “-as tenants, that I have purchased the building in which you are currently residing and that your rent will be altered to two dollars a month, effective and due at the first of next month.”

“Wait...” Bucky turned from Steve to Tony, looking baffled. “You bought our building?”

“Yes.” Tony smiled smugly. He did enjoy being the center attention.

Bucky paused a second. His expression was blank. “...And you're lowering our rent to two dollars?”

Tony nodded. “That's right.” He watched the younger man. Bucky going blank meant either his mind was searching for memories to help understand a new emotion or he'd been overloaded. Tony really hadn't wanted to overload him. 

“Why, Tony?” Steve cut in before Bucky could reestablish anything else. He crossed his massive arms over his ridiculous chest. Clearly, he had noticed Bucky's reaction as well and decided it warranted being more angry at Tony.

“Because you refuse to live rent-fee in the tower like everybody else and Pepper said I had to start working on compromising.” Tony shrugged. He didn't understand how someone could make it so hard to give them things. “So I compromised.”

Bruce sighed and rubbed his face. “Tony...”

“ _That's_ your idea of compromising?” Steve demanded. He dropped his hands to his hips. “Buying our building to force us to-”

“-let him take care of us the best way he knows how?” Bucky interrupted. A touch of exasperation colored his tone. He turned to Tony. “That's what this is, right?”

Tony blinked. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well I wouldn't have phrased it quite like that, but, yeah. Pretty much.”

Bucky smiled at him, which always made Tony feel like a proud parent at the science fair. Or how he imagined that must feel; his own parents never made it to any of his so they never had a chance to describe their pride. 

Before Tony could continue down that line of thought, Bucky shocked the room by stepping forward and giving him a brief hug. Bucky rarely initiated contact with anyone but Steve. Tony instinctively -and somewhat numbingly- wrapped his arms around the normally standoffish man. 

“Thank you, Tony.” Bucky murmured before patting his back and stepping away. “That was really thoughtful.” 

He bit his lip and looked down before raising his eyes to look at Tony again. He looked apologetic. “Just to be sure... You do know you don't have to pay us back for anything, right? We'd be your friends anyway.”

“Of course, I know. I just-” Tony rolled his eyes. He really wasn't good at the whole heart-to-heart thing. That's why he normally just paid for things. “Like you said, kid; I like to take care of my friends and this is the best way I know how.”

Bucky wore a small, sweet smile. He nodded. “Then, thanks.”

Tony nodded back. “You're welcome.”

Bucky nudged Steve with his elbow. “Geesh, what would your ma say at your manners? Our friend gave us a gift. Say 'thank you, Tony'.”

Steve looked a little dazed. He stared at Bucky for a couple of seconds before Bucky raised his eyebrows and pointedly looked from him to Tony. Then, Steve turned to Tony as well. “Thank you, Tony.”

Tony burst out laughing. He actually bent over with the force of it and had to hold his stomach after it started hurting. “Oh shit, it was worth the price for that alone.” He wiped one of his eyes and looked from Steve -who was getting angry- to Bucky -who just looked confused. 

“Has he always been like this then?” Tony pointed to Steve, who still looked grumpy. “I thought it was an old man thing or 'man out of time' thing.”

“No, he's always been proud and stubborn.” Bucky said it so fondly, as if he wouldn't change that about Steve for the world. He way he looked at the man said the same. “Its part of his charm.”

“Oh, is _that_ what you call it?” Tony chuckled again at the look on Steve's face. Like he was torn between joy that Bucky was remembering and playing with him and fury at his determination being referred to as stubbornness. 

“Mm-hm.” Bucky gave one of Steve's shoulders a squeeze. “You should have seen him the first time I made him his favorite apple pie for his birthday.”

Steve's ears immediately turned red and Bucky smiled at him lovingly before looking at Tony. 

“All the work I put into learning how to make a crust; made my folks eat pot pies for weeks while I perfected it. Plus figuring out how to do it in a square pan 'cause we didn't have a pie tin. I worked extra odd jobs to afford the apples and cinnamon. I was so proud to give it to him and he just goes on and on about how he doesn't need hand-outs and how he can take care of himself. I was crushed.”

Bucky still wore that small, fond smile. Steve was covering his face with one hand, the other was rubbing Bucky's upper arm, as if in apology. Tony was chuckling and even Bruce looked amused. 

“Did he at least say 'thank you'?” Tony asked.

“After his ma made him.” Bucky frowned and looked at Tony. “Did I mention we were only twelve and fourteen when this happened?”

Bruce covered his laugh with a poor attempt at a cough. Tony looked at Steve incredulously. “Your twelve year old best friend made you a pie from scratch and you gave him shit for it?”

“I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Buck.” Steve mumbled through his fingers. “You _know_ I was sensitive about that sort of thing.”

“I know,” Bucky agreed kindly just as Tony snorted.

“What do you mean ' _was_ '?” Tony arched an eyebrow and pointed at the envelope on the sofa. “I had to make sure no one in your building heard a whisper about that to make sure you'd let me do it.”

“And we appreciate the effort.” Bucky commented, he sounded genuine. He nudged Steve with his hip this time. 

Steve removed his hand from his face and draped his arm around Bucky's shoulders instead. “Yeah, that was... That was really nice of you, Tony.” Steve suddenly drew his brows and frowned slightly. “Wait, what about all the other tenants in the building?”

“Everyone associated with SHIELD and the ass who called Bucky a rude word are out.” Tony could be petty, he wasn't ashamed. You don't call his friends cruel names or join an organization that bugs their apartment and get away with it. Oddly enough, rather than the disapproval he'd expected, that got him a stronger look of appreciation from Steve than buying an entire building had. 

He paused in surprise, but pushed on quickly afterwards. “Oddly enough, that means your floor is empty, save for you two. We can either rent out the other apartments on your floor or remodel to give you the whole thing. Whatever you want.” He held up a hand before Steve could say anything. “Think it over.

“Everyone else keeps living there as if nothing's changed.” He tilted his head and waved a hand. “Well, except that they'll get better maintenance and security. How do you feel about your superintendent? Should I replace him?”

Steve shrugged. Bucky nodded. Steve pulled a face. “He isn't that bad. He fixed the shower pretty quickly last time.”

“Actually, that was me.” Bucky frowned when Steve looked at him admonishingly. “What? We need a working shower. The serum makes you able to run fifteen miles in half an hour, it doesn't stop you from smelling like it. ”

Steve rolled his eyes, then he looked thoughtful. “What about the garbage disposal that got fixed while I was at that charity event with Sam and Rhodey?”

“Also me.” 

“And the broken electrical outlet in the kitchen?”

Bucky nodded. 

Steve looked amused. “When?”

“When you were off killing those blue slug monsters that I know nothing about.” The fact that Bucky could say that so blandly said a lot about the group of them as people, Tony was sure. 

Steve groaned at the memory. Tony didn't blame him. Those monsters had been awful. Bucky hadn't been considered emotionally stable enough to join the Avengers yet, but a remarkably impressive sniper had appeared on a distant rooftop and taken out any slug monsters that got too close to Steve or his team. He disappeared before anyone could identify him.

Bruce had to sit that one out entirely. He grinned about it now.

“Wait,” Tony looked at Bucky. “When did you have time to fix your outlet? We were out there all day.”

“I didn't have to sit through debriefings or press conferences afterwards.” Bucky still didn't have to sit through any press conferences. Hill, Pepper, Fury and Sam had made it clear that he was to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. He seemed pleased to do so. 

“And I was impressed that the super got to it within a couple days,” Steve commented. 

Tony smiled. “Okay, definitely need a new superintendent.” He clapped his hands and looked at Bucky. “Hey, you wouldn't happen to want a day job, would you? There's great benefits, you get a free pass for any Avenger duties that prevent you from working, and if any of the tenants are dicks to you, I'll evict them!”

“Tony...” Steve and Bruce began at the same time.

Tony ignored them. He was already thinking about bringing clean energy to his new building and wondering what the best way to take down some of the interior walls would be. He was going to be expanding Steve and Bucky's apartment whether Steve liked it or not and giving them their own elevator. It would be useful for Avenger emergencies and Bucky would be more comfortable with less people around them. 

He was also thinking of clearing out the bottom floor to add a gym, security desk and reception area. There were enough empty apartments now that he'd cleared out SHIELD that he could just move everyone else up. He'd pay for the movers and give the tenants a free months rent to make up for the inconvenience. 

Tony needed a new project anyway. Watching his friends play chess was only entertaining for so long and he'd promised Pepper he would take it easy on the suits.

Maybe he would even give the building its own AI...


End file.
